City loses 50th life to trigger-happy muggers this year

A 28-year-old LPG shop employee became the 50th citizen killed in the metropolis this year while resisting a robbery, after trigger-happy muggers shot him in the head for refusing to hand over his motorcycle in Liaquatabad on Sunday.

The victim was identified as Shehzad, who was working at an LPG cylinder shop. His body was shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital through a Chhipa ambulance for medico-legal formalities.

PS Liaquatabad SHO Shaukat Awan told The Express Tribune that Shehzad was at the shop with his 15-year-old colleague, Tayyab, when two armed men arrived on a motorcycle. The suspects initially asked for a plug spanner, claiming that their motorcycle was malfunctioning. After being told that the tool was unavailable, they left the shop but returned about a minute later. According to Tayyab, one of the suspects was wearing a mask. The men held him at gunpoint and made him sit in a corner before waking Shehzad, who was asleep at the time.

The suspects allegedly snatched Shehzad's mobile phone and around Rs15,000 in cash from his pocket before demanding the keys to his motorcycle.

When Shehzad refused to hand over the keys, the suspects allegedly assaulted him and then opened fire. He sustained a bullet wound to the head and died on the spot. The suspects allegedly took the motorcycle keys from Shehzad's pocket, threatened Tayyab with dire consequences and fled on the victim's motorcycle.

Police said the motorcycle used by the suspects was abandoned at the scene and taken into custody.